Samuel



PATENT QFFEQEQ SAMUEL GLELAND DAVIDSON, O1 BELFAST, IRELAND.

FEAT FUEL.

No Drawing.

To (/ZZ whom it may 0011 06 m Be it known that I, SAMUEL CLELAND DAVIDSON, a subject of the King of Great Britain and freland, of Sirocco Engineering lVorks, Belfast, Ireland, merchant, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Preparation of Peat Fuel, of which the following is a specification.

My herein described improvements relate to the preparation of a special type of peat fuel for employment in closed or open firegrates, as a substitute for coal for general and household purposes, and the object of my invention is to economically produce this class, of peat fuel in large quantities by a commercially operative method.

In carrying my invention into effect, according to one modification, I take a suit able quantity of ordinary wet peat as obtained directly from the bog, and work it in any suitable form of mixing machine (such, for example, as a dough-mixing machine) until it attains a putty-like consistency, and while continuing this mixing process, add gradually thereto, and thoroughly blend therewith, stable proportions of powdered pitch, and of powdered dry peat. The latter can be easily and quickly made by passing common air-dried peat through a power-driven centrifugally-acting disintegrating machine, which almost instautm eously reduces it to the powdered condition which 1 herein refer to as powdered dry peat. The proportions may vary, but enough pitch is used to give a luminous bituminous flame, which requires not to exceed one-half the weight of the wet peat. 0f the dry powdered peat enough is used to give a suitably coherent product having no apparent excess of moisture,

which requires not to exceed twothirds the weight of the wet peat.

The blending together of these three materials is then continued until the mixture attains the condition of one homogeneous mass, from which suitable quantities can be taken and pressed in molds into blocks, during which operation but little fluid exudes therefrom, even with an applied pressure up to as much as half a ton to the square inch.

The pressed blocks should be allowed to mature for a few days under cover from the weather, as maturing in this way toughens and hardens them, and also causes them to ignite more readily in either open or closed Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 7, 1920.

Patented July 5, 1221.

Serial No. 357,028.

fire-grates, and to burn, firstly, with a bright yellow flame, and in the subsequent incandescent stage with substantially an equal durability to that of good quality bituminous coal, so that although their calorific value is lower than that of coal, they can nevertheless be.satisfactorily employed as a substitute therefor, more especially when used in open fire-grates for household purposes.

The relative proportions of the several component materials used in the manufacture of the herein described peat fuel, be varied within wide limits according to the quality and condition of the wet peat as obtained from the hog and of the powdered dry peat, the object in view throughout being to so adjust these relative proportions, consistently with the maintenance of good combustion, that when the whole miX ture is blended into a homogeneous mass, and suitable quantities from it are being pressed into blocks, very little fluid will exude therefrom, so that without further treatment, beyond allowing the blocks to mature for a few days under cover from the weather, they will toughen and harden into a good general and household fuel, which will burn satisfactorily in open or closed fire-grates, and constitute a useful substi tute for coal.

I have operated with satisfactory results, using from 1 to of the weight of the wet peat of pitch, and from to of such weight of dry peat.

I do not herein claim the process of adding powderechdry peat to the wet peat from the bog, nor the addition of slaked lime thereto without the addition of pitch or its equivalent to cause the peat fuel to burn with a luminous flame; but make reference to my pending applications filed May 27, 1919. Serial No. 300,128, and filed February 5, 1920, Serial No. 356,392, and filed December 2, 1.920, Serial No. 427,852, which set forth and claim these features.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The process of preparing fuel from peat, which consists in stirring wet peat as obtained directly from the bog into an approximately putty-like consistency, gradually adding powdered pitch and powdered dry peat thereto, during the continuance of the said treatment. continuing the stirring treatment until the three materials are blended together to form a homogeneous mass, and pressing the same into blocks.

2. The process of preparingfuel from peat, which consists in stirring wetpeat as obtained directly from the bog into an approximately putty-like V consistency, gradu ally adding thereto during the continuance of said treatment, enough powdered pitch to give a luminous flame, and enough powdered dry peat to; give coherence Without excess of moisture, continuing the treatment until'tne witnesses.

materials are blended together to-form a homogeneous mass and pressing the mass into blocks. 7

In witness whereof I havehereunto signed 15 my name in the presence of two subscribing SAMUEL CLELAND D V D O Witnesses: 7 i

ALFRED AGAR,- GERARD W. MATTHEW; 

